"AOIFE" (INCREDIBLE BEAUTY) WAS A FIERCE SCOTTISH WARRIOR GODDESS; SHE WAS CALLED THE "PRINCESS OF THE ISLE OF SHADOW". SHE WAS A CELTIC QUEEN ASSOCIATED WITH SCOTLAND. HER RIVAL WAS" SCATHACH" (SOME SAY THEY WERE SISTERS) AND THE TWO OFTEN CLASHED. ACCORDING TO LEGEND, BOTH OPERATED A SCHOOL ON THE ISLE WHERE THEY TRAINED WARRIORS, BUT "AOIFE'S" SCHOOL WAS MUCH LESS SUCCESSFUL.

DESPITE CONFLICT BETWEEN SHE AND "CUCHULAIN", THE TWO PRODUCED A SON NAMED "CONLA. " LEGEND HAS IT THAT "CUCHULAIN" LEFT "AOIFE "BEFORE FINDING OUT SHE WAS PREGNANT, AND, WHEN HE WAS LEAVING HER, HE AVE HER LITTLE GOLDEN RING. "AOIFE "RAISED "CONLA "IN SECRET, TRAINING HIM IN THE DARK ARTS AND COMBAT, AND WHEN HE WAS OLD ENOUGH, SHE SENT HIM OUT INTO THE WORLD TO SEEK HIS DESTINY...GIVING HIM THE RING AND TELLING HIM NEVER TO TURN HIS BACK WHILE IN COMBAT. THE LAD FOLLOWED HIS MOTHER'S ADVICE ALTHOUGH IT LED TO HIS DEATH AT THE HANDS OF HIS FATHER WHO WAS UNAWARE THE THE BOY WAS HIS SON. BY THE TIME HE SAW THE RING, IT WAS TOO LATE.

OTHER SOURCES PLACE HER AS A CONSORT OF THE SEA GOD "MANANNAN" OR ONE OF HIS SONS, AND SAY SHE STOLE THE" ALPHABET OF KNOWLEDGE" FROM THE DEITIES TO GIVE TO HUMANKIND. FOR THIS TRANSGRESSION, ALONG WITH HER GENERAL MEANNESS, SHE WAS TRANSFORMED INTO A CRANE BY THE ELDER DEITIES. SOME LEGENDS SAY SHE HAUNTS THE COUNTRYSIDE IN THIS FORM TO THIS DAY, OTHERS THAT SHE WAS ACCIDENTALLY KILLED BY HUNTERS.